41°03′06″N
73°32′24″W
/
41.0517°N 73.5400°W
/
41.0517; -73.5400
Church in Connecticut, United States
The Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist
is a
Catholic
parish church
and
minor basilica
in
Stamford, Connecticut
, USA. It was founded in the 1850s and the current church was built in 1868 to meet the increasing needs of the congregation. It serves a multi-lingual congregation, including descendants of the original congregation.
History
[
edit
]
Interior of the Basilica
In 1849, Stamford's small Catholic community purchased land, and, on July 4, broke ground for the original church of Saint John the Evangelist on Meadow Street. The small, one-story wooden framed church structure measured 60 feet by 40 feet, with some rudimentary
gothic
decorations, a small steeple and a bell. It was dedicated in 1851. By 1854, Saint John's became an independent mission, with Father Edward J. Cooney, its first pastor.
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
To meet the growing Catholic population, a larger church was built in 1868. A few years later, the adjacent property and private home was purchased to serve as a
rectory
, and another parcel was purchased to be used in the future for the new parish school and
convent
.
[5]
[nb 1]
James Murphy
of
Providence, Rhode Island
was the architect of the new stone church, having designed and constructed fifty-six of the Catholic churches throughout New England. The interior was designed by John Ennis, a Dublin theater designer. The Saint John the Evangelist church was completed and consecrated on May 30, 1886, by Bishop
Lawrence Stephen McMahon
. It was the largest in the state at the time. It is known as "The Mother Church of Stamford."
[7]
[8]
[9]
Two new convents were constructed at the site of the new church on Atlantic Street. The Saint John's School, completed in 1906 and directly behind the new church, was staffed by the
Sisters of Mercy
and operated until its closure in 1973.
[10]
Saint John's Parish donated most of the funding for the construction and outfitting of Saint Joseph's Hospital, which opened its doors in Stamford in 1942 and served the community until 1999.
[11]
Saint John's Parish had been founded by impoverished
Irish Catholic
immigrants
and over time served a congregation of widening backgrounds. Since 1890
apostolates
have begun for the
Italian
immigrants (1890),
Polish
and
Slovak
immigrants (1900),
Hispanic
community, and
Haitian
Catholics (1972).
[12]
Urban development
[
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]
In response to Saint John's support of the city's
urban development
program through donations of seed money and land, the city named the three affordable housing apartments, Saint John's Towers after the parish. The Bishop of Bridgeport and the Pastor of Saint John's Church are ex-officio members of the board of directors of the Saint John's Urban Development Corporation, the legal entity that oversees the housing complex.
[13]
Minor Basilica
[
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]
On July 16, 2009,
Pope Benedict XVI
raised Saint John's Parish to the dignity and title of Minor Basilica based upon its sanctuary size, historical importance, art and recognition within the Diocese. At that time, there were 65 Minor Basilicas in the United States and 1,561 in the world.
[3]
[14]
Regarding the state of the sanctuary and its artwork:
The gothic High Altar of white Carrera marble and golden Mexican
onyx
dates to the church’s opening in 1886. The altar crucifix above the
tabernacle
is from the original 1851 church. The three stained-glass windows above the sanctuary, depicting the
Incarnation
, the
Crucifixion
, and the
Resurrection
, are Dutch in origin and the oldest in the church, dating to 1886."
[3]
Overview
[
edit
]
The rector of the church is
Monsignor
Stephen M. DiGiovanni. Mass is held and confessions are heard each day. On Sunday there are
Latin
,
English
and
French
&
Creole
services.
[15]
[16]
Saint John's membership consists of people of domestic and international backgrounds.
Confessions
are heard daily before each
Mass
in
Italian
,
Spanish
,
French
,
Creole
,
Portuguese
, as well as
English
.
[17]
The church has a seating capacity of 1,600 and exterior dimensions of 100 by 180 feet.
[18]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
The rectory and adjacent buildings had been used prior to the Civil War as a stop on the
Underground Railroad
, which assisted hundreds of African American slaves to freedom.
[6]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Stamford Advocate, January 28, 1851.
- ^
Thomas S. Duggan. (1930).
The Catholic Church in Connecticut.
New York: States History Company. p. 453.
- ^
a
b
c
Saint John the Evangelist Church in Stamford is elevated to a "Minor Basilica" by Pope Benedict XVI; First Basilica in Fairfield County.
Archived
2016-03-04 at the
Wayback Machine
Diocese of Bridgeport. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^
Bulletin For Sunday January 23, 2011 - 1851 dedication of the wooden clapboard chapel of Saint John the Evangelist.
Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^
James H. O’Donnell. (1900)
The History of the Diocese of Hartford.
Boston. pp. 285?286. (Reprinted in 2011.
ISBN
1178501035
)
- ^
The Fairfield County Catholic, July/August 2003
- ^
The New York Times, May 31, 1886
- ^
Just, Olivia. (December 17, 2010).
Vibrant wall paintings reemerge at Basilica of St. John the Evangelist
.
Stamford Advocate. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^
Saint John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church.
Emporis. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
- ^
William A. Nagle. (1976).
St. John Catholic Church.
So. Hackensack, NJ. pp. 8?9.
- ^
Ann Callahan & Brian E. Wallace. (1992).
The Promise of a Hospital
. Stamford: St. Joseph Medical Center. pp. 1?85.
- ^
tephen Michael DiGiovanni. (1987).
The Catholic Church in Fairfield County, 1666-1961.
New Canaan: W. Mulvey. pp. 224?225, 255?270.
ISBN
0934791120
- ^
The Stamford Advocate, November 27, 1970
- ^
The Stamford Times, October 25, 2009
- ^
The Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist.
Diocese of Bridgeport. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^
Masses.
Archived
2012-04-30 at the
Wayback Machine
The Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist. Retrieved September 3, 2012.
- ^
The New York Times, February 21, 2009.
- ^
[1]
Archived
2016-03-04 at the
Wayback Machine
The Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist. May 26, 2013 Bulletin. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
External links
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edit
]
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Ordinaries
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Churches
|
- Cathedral
- St. Augustine Cathedral
- Basilica
- Basilica of Saint John the Evangelist
, Stamford
- Parishes
- St. Agnes
, Greenwich
- St. Anthony of Padua
, Fairfield
- St. Benedict-Our Lady of Montserrat
, Stamford
- Blessed Sacrament
, Bridgeport
- St. Bridget of Ireland
, Stamford
- St. Catherine of Siena
, Riverside
- St. Catherine of Siena
, Trumbull
- St. Cecilia
, Stamford
- St. Charles Borromeo
, Bridgeport
- Christ the King, Trumbull
- St. Clement of Rome
, Stamford
- SS. Cyril and Methodius
, Bridgeport
- St. Gabriel
, Stamford
- St. George
, Bridgeport
- St. Gregory the Great Church, Danbury
- Holy Family
, Fairfield
- Holy Name of Jesus
, Stamford
- Holy Name of Jesus
, Stratford
- Holy Spirit
, Stamford
- Immaculate Heart of Mary
, Danbury
- St. James
, Stratford
- St. Jerome
, Norwalk
- St. John
, Darien
- St. Joseph
, Brookfield
- St. Joseph
, Danbury
- St. Joseph
, South Norwalk
- St. Ladislaus
, South Norwalk
- St. Lawrence
, Shelton
- Saint Margaret Shrine
, Bridgeport
- St. Marguerite Bourgeoys
, Brookfield
- St. Mark
, Stratford
- St. Mary
, Bridgeport
- St. Mary
, Greenwich
- St. Mary
, Norwalk
- St. Mary
, Stamford
- St. Matthew
, Norwalk
- St. Maurice
, Stamford
- St. Michael the Archangel
, Bridgeport
- Notre Dame, Easton
- Our Lady of Grace
, Stratford
- Our Lady of Guadalupe, Danbury
- Our Lady of Peace
, Stratford
- Our Lady of the Assumption
, Fairfield
- Our Lady of the Assumption
, Westport
- Our Lady Star of the Sea
, Stamford
- St. Paul
, Greenwich
- St. Peter
, Bridgeport
- St. Peter
, Danbury
- St. Philip
, Norwalk
- St. Pius X
, Fairfield
- St. Roch
, Greenwich
- St. Rose of Lima
, Newtown
- Sacred Heart
, Georgetown
- Sacred Heart, Greenwich
- Sacred Heart, Stamford
- Sacred Heart of Jesus
, Danbury
- St. Stephen, Trumbull
- St. Theresa
, Trumbull
- St. Thomas Aquinas
, Fairfield
- St. Thomas the Apostle
, Norwalk
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Education
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